Charities have criticised “the shockingly normal” increase in homelessness as another record number was reached in Ireland.
There were 13,531 people in homeless accommodation by the end of January, according to the latest figures from the Department of Housing.
There were 9,504 adults and 4,027 children in emergency accommodation during the last week of January.
The number of children is lower than in the last tranche of homeless figures for December, when a record number of 4,105 children were recorded in homeless accommodation.
This was the first time since the Department began publishing the figures that they had topped 4,000.
There were also 1,940 families in emergency accommodation, of which 56% were one-parent families, and 197 pensioners.
The Simon Communities of Ireland said the figures showed a 15 per cent increase in emergency accommodation in the 12 months since January.
There was a 21 per cent increase in the number of families and a 17 per cent increase in the number of children in a year.
“It’s disheartening to see that in 2024, we still have not gotten ahead of this crisis. We have known for all those years that the solution is to increase the supply of social housing,” said Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland.
“We simply have not been building enough social housing and the situation is made worse by the decline in supply and affordability in the private rental market.
“The absence of supply and affordability is driving the homelessness crisis as it leaves too many individuals and families in precarious living arrangements, putting them at risk of homelessness.
“We need Government to do more to provide support and protection to these individuals and families and prevent homelessness before it starts.”
Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said that these latest figures are a serious setback after the welcome fall in family homelessness before Christmas.
He said that there were 4,027 homeless children was “truly heartbreaking” and “an appalling situation”.
Mr Dennigan added: “Homelessness causes great suffering for all those affected, with children bearing the brunt of its harm.
“As a society, we must move beyond mere expressions of disappointment at the persistently record-breaking homelessness figures each month.
“It is time to take meaningful actions that will cause change, such as ensuring a fairer allocation of social housing for families who are homeless.”
Catherine Kenny, chief executive of Dublin Simon, said that after a slightly expected seasonal decrease in homelessness over the Christmas period, Ireland had returned “to what is shockingly considered to be ‘normal’ in our society today – another upward turn in figures”.
